Trials and Tribulations
by Shitsuren69
Summary: Sengoku Basara. The long awaited game by Toyotomi Hideyoshi turned out to be nothing more than a trap laced with death and trials, each seemingly individually tailored to specific players. If you can save everyone's lives by sacrificing one person, would you? Or better yet. Should you? DateSana. ChoMori. IeMitsu.
1. The Trials: Prologue

This story is a combination of ID eNTITY (Yureka), Sword Art Online, and 1/2 Prince. Basic premise is that the characters of SenBasa are stuck inside a virtual reality game created by Hideyoshi (for Keiji). The problem is (like in SAO), if you die in the game, you die in real life. To get out of it, you need to defeat the game. The game console itself (and the creation of avatars) was taken from ID eNTITY (Yureka), and a very strong presence of 1/2 Prince would make itself known as the story progresses. However, even without knowing any of the above three, you can still enjoy this story.

This is supposed to be in 2 parts. Trials: the game part of the story. Tribulation: the aftermath of the game. Whether I actually write both parts, however, is the unknown.

**Warnings** (this warning is for the entire story): Video game violence, technically underaged couples, foul languages, eventual character deaths, and lots and lots of domestic fluff.

**End Pairings**: MasamunexYukimura, MotochikaxMori, IeyasuxMitsunari, NagamasaxOichi

* * *

**2 Months Before the Launch**

"What's this?" Ieyasu asked as he stared at the box in his hands. He glanced up at his father, who beamed at him. "It's not a special occasion, is it?"

"Well, you've been working hard recently," his father explained, his grin widening. "And I wanted to let you know that it's okay for you to relax and have fun once in a while. Ah, that's on the assumption that you don't completely slack off after this."

Laughing, Ieyasu opened the box and was surprised by the content inside of it. "_Sengoku Basara_? Dad! This game isn't even out in the stores! How did you get it?"

His father held up a finger to his lips. "This is our little secret, okay? You can't tell your mother about it." Then he patted Ieyasu's head and said proudly, "But back in the day, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and I used to be good friends. So when I heard that he had a new game in the make, I gave him a call, and he agreed to send a special one just for you."

"Dad! Thank you so much" Ieyasu exclaimed.

* * *

To be purely honest, Tokugawa Ieyasu never was the gamer type. He wasn't too interested in the newest game on the market other than talking to his friends about it. He had been more of a gundam boy himself, preferring the solitude of working by himself on the newest model. However, that didn't mean that he was completely cut off from that world. Even he had heard about _Sengoku Basara_.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's fifth game that was rumored to outblow every other game in the world. It was a combination of the recently popular virtual reality game with the familiar MMORPG to deliver 99% realistic gaming experience. It had been in the make for the past two years with the best programmers available in the entire nation. And in two months, the game was due to be released to the public, which meant that there was no way for Ieyasu to play it, since it hadn't even been launched.

However, for everyone who had preordered the game, they received a USB device and a special program. It was meant to contain the character data for the game so that once the game was released, you wouldn't waste countless hours redesigning your character for the game.

Because you could only get one character.

And this character was meant to be in perfect sync with the player. In order to achieve this, every big-named game shops (and those who wished to become big) went out to buy a specialized scanner from the Toyotomi group. This scanner did a complete run-through of the player's body, storing the data inside the USB. Then the player could connect it to a computer to edit the character information using the program. This character could be remade multiple times as the player wished until the player logged in as the character.

Then that character would be set as the only one that the player could use.

All of this information came from careful reading through of the instruction manual (not to mention remembering all of the gossips his friends had spewed about the game). Armed with this, Ieyasu gulped and marched into the local game shop that he had never been to before.

* * *

Ieyasu stared at his computer screen, feeling his cheeks burn up. He had already skimmed through the instruction manual at least 15 times now, so he understood. The stats for his average body (freshly scanned without any kind of additions or stats changed) were way below average. Well, he knew that. Sure he did. He had never been that interested in taking care of his body.

But to be told so bluntly by a game?

With a small pout, Ieyasu tapped on the stats bar. What could he do to have an actual playable character?

He noticed with a start that there was an age bar. Curious, he moved the clicker, grinning when he realized that with age, his avatar filled out and became a rather muscular and hot piece of hunk. Just by adding six years to his character, the stats jumped up pretty impressive amount as well.

"Awesome," he found himself whispering. And with a giant grin, he became lost in the creation of the perfect character.

* * *

**1 Month Before the Launch**

"Yeah! That's another win for the great Ogre of the West Sea!" Chosokabe Motochika shouted proudly as he stood over the body of his victim.

"Damn it!" came the screams of his victims. They punched the sandy beach, cursing loudly.

Laughing loudly, Motochika placed his surfboard firmly in the sand, using it to lean against it. "No one can defeat the mighty me!"

"You know what?" one of the victims growled, looking up at Motochika with passionate eyes. "I bet you can't win against me in _Sengoku Basara_!"

"Ah? A video game?" Motochika asked. "Not interested."

"Why? Afraid you're going to lose?"

Now let it be known that Chosokabe Motochika did not like to lose. Everything that he did, it was for the sake of victory. Whether it be surfing, eating, fighting, or studying, he had never lost a match once he deemed it a challenge. And to be told there in the middle of the beach that he might lose in some stupid game?

It was just the right thing to say to get him fired up.

"Fine!" Motochika shouted. "Let's play the bloody game!"

* * *

Motochika frowned as he stared at the computer, scratching his head. Stats? Numbers? Bars? What the hell? Why couldn't he just use his own body as his character? Why did they make this game so hard to figure out?

With a loud scream of frustration, he gave up. He was just going to let it be. Surely his surfer body was more than enough for a game.

* * *

**3 Weeks Before the Launch**

Blood fell to the ground, dripping down from his fists. A crazed grin grazed the boy's confident face, sharp with no mirth. He looked down at the weaklings that dared cross his path with his one eye.

"Oi," he called, kicking at the unresponsive bodies. "**Get up**. You can't seriously tell me that this is all you have. Hey. You're the one who challenged me. You can't just leave it like that! OI!"

"Masamune-sama, that is enough."

Date Masamune, the heir to the Date business empire, paused to glance over at his retainer, Katakura Kojuro. The man's usual serious face was twisted into a look of concern and guilt, as if he couldn't quite figure out how to deal with the moody teenager or the fact that all of this was his own fault for not learning how to take care of Masamune.

"Did you just give me an order, Kojuro?" Masamune demanded, tilting his head to the side so that his bangs fell over his blind eye. Blind because of that stupid car crash. Blind – not because his right eye was no longer useful, but because his brain could no longer send signals to it. "Well?"

"I apologize," Kojuro responded as he always did. "And you may punish me for my impunity later, however, this is too much. Masamune-sama, I beseech you to abandon your wild ways."

Masamune's teeth gritted and Kojuro expected a blow. But instead, there was a small "Tch!" and Kojuro was surprised by his young master walking away from the injured in the alleyway.

"I will call you an ambulance," Kojuro assured the people on the ground. "Only on the promise that you will not report my young master."

There was muffled agreement, but Kojuro was fine with that. He knew that he couldn't protect Masamune forever, especially not when the young Date heir was acting this recklessly. He sighed softly. He had to find a way to contain his young master.

* * *

It happened all too fast.

One moment, Kojuro was driving the car. The next, he was swerving off the road, hand reaching out to grab his young master. He remembered the shock on Masamune's face the most vividly. He remembered the crushing feeling that he had just failed his master.

And when he awoke later, they were in the hospital. Lucky, the doctors had said. But Kojuro hadn't felt like it. He had failed his young master, who had taken the loss of his eye very harshly. Since then, Masamune had taken to the streets, challenging anyone and everyone he thought looked at him wrongly. All in vain hope that all the fights would ease the pain in his heart.

All because Kojuro was stupid and he hadn't told Masamune to buckle up. All because Kojuro was stupid and swerved off the road. All because Kojuro was stupid and couldn't do his job right.

That was why he had to make it up to his master.

* * *

"_Sengoku Basara_?" Kojuro asked as he picked up the game.

Once upon a time, when Masamune had still been a child and hadn't been as interested in taking over the Date business empire, he and Kojuro spent hours together playing video games. Often times, they put something silly on the line (usually chores or study hours). And they played to win, competing against each other with friendly companionship that Kojuro dearly missed.

Then wasn't this the perfect way for redemption? _Sengoku Basara_, the game that had the entire world in a buzz.

Kojuro didn't hesitate to buy it.

* * *

"Ah?" Masamune asked as he kicked at a dumpster. "You want to what?"

"I believe it'll be to your tastes," Kojuro explained, holding up the USB drive up to his young master.

"_Sengoku Basara_?" Masamune frowned. "So what's the wager?"

Trust the young master to know exactly what Kojuro was getting at. Taking a deep breath, he talked. "If at the end of one month period of playing this game, you still feel the same as you do now… Then I shall help you destroy the world, if that is your wish. However, I would like for you to try and see the world with new eye."

Masamune seemed to consider this carefully. Then he nodded slowly. "**Alright**. So what you're saying is that you want me to get out of this rut I'm in. Fine. Let's do it. It sounds like it'll be fun. **Let's party**."

Kojuro smiled.

* * *

**2 Weeks Before the Launch**

Mori Motonari cocked the gun in his hand. He heard the rest of his teammates over the comms, shouting orders and calling for backups. Hah. What stupid idiots. Didn't they know that they were all just sacrifices for Motonari's sake?

He waited until the screams died down before he jumped in. Firing rapidly in succession, he shot down all those who had dared challenge him. Within minutes, the words, "Victor!" appeared on the screen, grazing Motonari with his rightful title.

"That's pretty cruel, man," someone complained over the comm when Motonari came out of the arena area. It appeared that his 'teammates' had been waiting in the menu screen for him to return.

"I told you," Motonari answered calmly. "This game doesn't keep track of deaths or who delivered the final blow. Just that the team won."

"You still sacrificed all of us for this gameplay!" the guy insisted.

"I would offered the position to any of you, if you guys had the skills to pull it off."

There was a low growl before someone else quickly changed the topic.

"So… _Sengoku Basara_ is going to come out soon!"

Motonari detested small talk, but he couldn't help the rush of thrill at the mention of the game. When it had been announced a year back, Motonari had jumped at the chance for a new game. After all, if there was one thing he prided himself in, it was his gaming skills. He wasn't going to lose to anyone.

"Anyone got the game already?" someone asked.

The boy ignored the rest of the chatter. Until the game launched, he was forced to play other mediocre games like this one with boring people. Ah, he couldn't wait until _Sengoku Basara_ was out.

Then he would truly rule the gaming world.

* * *

**1 Week Before the Launch**

Uesugi Kenshin laughed at his best friend, who was excitedly describing his newest character design.

"You know you won't be able to change it once you log in, right?" Kenshin asked, making sure that his friend wasn't going to make a stupid mistake.

"Of course!" Takeda Shingen answered, grinning broadly. "But doesn't it make your blood boil? I can't wait to play this game!"

Kenshin nodded. "Me neither, but I'm pretty good at controlling myself."

"Aw don't be such a bore! If you want it, then you have to reach out and grab it. C'mon! Let's go over to your place and look at your character."

"What? Shingen, my character doesn't-"

But his friend wasn't listening, already talking a mile a minute about things to update.

Kenshin just decided to let it go.

* * *

**3 Days Before the Launch**

"What the hell is this?" Ishida Mitsunari demanded as he glared at his caretaker before him.

"It's yours," Takenaka Hanbei answered calmly. "Your beloved Hideyoshi-sama had it made specially for you before he died."

"You have got to be kidding me. I'm not playing this stupid game," Mitsunari snapped. "This game is what killed Hideyoshi-sama!"

"But doesn't it make you curious? What was it that he became so obsessed with that he literally worked himself to death for?" Hanbei asked, not even bothering to look at Mitsunari anymore.

"No." With that, Mitsunari moved to give the USB device back to Hanbei.

"Keep it," came the answer from the elegant man. "Maybe you'll change your mind."

Mitsunari didn't think so. But he pocketed the USB anyways.

* * *

**1 Day Before the Launch**

Maeda Keiji felt his back arch with anger and indignation. "We went our separate ways," Keiji reminded Hanbei, who looked at him with eyes filled with just as much hatred. "Even if you got to your hands and knees, there's no way that I'll participate."

"This game contains a message meant only for you," Hanbei said firmly. "Of all who plays, you must complete it."

"Why don't you just tell me the message yourself? Or better yet, play the game and then tell me?"

Hanbei looked down at his hands. "I don't have enough time."

It was more than enough and Keiji found himself sighing heavily. After all, they had all believed that Hanbei would be the first to die, not Hideyoshi.

"Alright," he said, accepting the USB device offered to him. "Fine. I'll bite. _Sengoku Basara_, eh?"

The smallest smile touched Hanbei's lips. "I promise you; you will not regret this."

* * *

**The Launch of the Game**

Sanada Yukimura hummed lightly under his breath as he enjoyed the breeze of the _Sengoku Basara_ world. He held up his hand, smiling softly as a butterfly landed on it briefly before it flew away. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his artificial skin.

99% realism, huh?

The menu beeped next to his ear, letting him know that he had a new message waiting for him. Using his hand, he brought up the menu and selected the message (in actuality, you didn't need to use your hands to use the menu. Just thinking about it made it work just as efficiently. But Yukimura had found it much more comforting to use his own hands so that he could see what he was doing).

"A message from Toyotomi Hideyoshi?" he read out loud. "Gather at the Beginner's Town Square…?"

The brown haired boy frowned. Must be the welcoming announcement. How troubling. He was going to have to say goodbye to his resting place for now. With that thought in mind, he teleported to the Beginner's Town.

* * *

"What the hell?!" came the cry that was echoed throughout the town.

Hideyoshi's digital face laughed at them from the sky, informing them with a digitized voice that this was it. There were two ways out of this game: By dying (which would also mean that they were forfeiting their real life in the real world) or by completing this game to the end. There was no way to log out.

And with that announcement, the face disappeared, leaving all the players trapped in a game that they did not sign up for.

"How exciting!" Yukimura couldn't help but to exclaim with a fist pump. "A game of a lifetime! Doesn't it just get your blood going?"

"Haha! I like your spirit kid, what's your name?" asked a hulking figure of a man clad in red.

"Call me Yukimura."

"I'm Shingen," the man said, holding up his hand. "Would you like to team up with me to complete this game?"

Yukimura shook the offered hand. "Sounds awesome!"


	2. The Trial of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Ieyasu brought his fist down, looking with grim satisfaction when his hand collided with the monster, shattering it into pieces of data for his experience points. In the corner of his eyes, he spotted the notification that he had reached level 14, 4 more levels higher than the recommended max of this area. So he had grown strong enough to destroy the slimes with one attack now. That was good to know.

It had been three weeks since the Launch of the _Sengoku Basara_. Since then, 38 people had died, and their names had appeared on the bulletin board of "In Remembrance." Frankly, it made Ieyasu's blood boil. All those innocent lives that would still be around if it hadn't been for this stupid, overly hyped game… Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had tricked all of them and gathered them all here, must be laughing in his high seat in hell. To think that there was nothing Ieyasu could do but get stronger so that he could defeat this stupid and boring game…

Growling lowly, Ieyasu walked deeper into the woods. Faster. He had to get stronger faster.

So lost in his thoughts was he that he completely missed the warning sign of an approaching monster. He heard the sound much too late, and by the time the monster leapt for him, Ieyasu couldn't react in time. He stood, frozen, as he heard the sound of a blade being drawn, and he was splashed with the explosion of data that always appeared when something died.

In the spot where the monster used to stand was a man with white hair gathered together to a point in front of his nose. He wore a white jacket that was framed by the color purple, but otherwise, dressed in all black. He sheathed his sword (perhaps a warrior class? But he didn't have the strong build of a warrior!), barely even glancing over at Ieyasu in the process. The man was lithe and lanky with a bored look on his face that made Ieyasu curious.

"Ah… Thank you," Ieyasu said finally. "I'm Ieyasu. And you are…?"

The man didn't say anything. He just glanced over at Ieyasu for a second before turning around and walking away.

"Hey! Wait! I want to talk to you!"

But the man was gone before Ieyasu could catch up, leaving the young boy feeling a little peeved. There were people who had already leveled up that much? Ieyasu was still so far behind. He had to get stronger. He had to get better…

* * *

Ieyasu was always caught surprised by the cacophony of the town compared to the silence of the forest. With 99% realism, he had to constantly remind himself that he was in a game. He was getting stronger to get out of here. So he could return home to his family and real life. He wondered if they were dusting his gundams while he was in this game…

He couldn't wait to get out. This place was boring as hell. Not to mention, he missed the hours and hours of working on a new model instead of fighting monsters in a monotonous manner.

"Oyakata-sama! Where are you?"

And with those words, someone ran into Ieyasu's back. He turned around, just in time to grab the kid from falling down. The kid had shortish brown hair in the front, but Ieyasu spotted a long ponytail behind him. He had a red headband tied around his head (fashion statement?). The boy was wearing an open red jacket with nothing under it and white pants with flames adorning the bottom. He looked up at Ieyasu with bright brown eyes and smiled.

"Thank you so much! Your reflexes are quite amazing! I am Yukimura of the Takedas!"

Ieyasu nodded as he helped steady the boy to his feet. "And I'm Ieyasu. Nice to meet you."

He turned to leave when Yukimura grabbed his arm. "Wait. Wait. By any chance, would you please take part in this quest with me? I've volunteered for it, but Oyataka-sama seems to have left already. The quest requires two or more people, so I can't do it by myself."

Oyakata-sama…? Somebody had an inflated ego.

"Ah sorry," Ieyasu said with an apologetic smile. "I'm kind of busy." He didn't have time to waste on quest nonsense. He had to get stronger. Didn't the kid understand that? The only way to win was by becoming stronger (Besides, it wasn't like this game was fun anyways. Why bother with external quests that wouldn't even help them in combat?).

Yukimura's face fell but he nodded. "I understand," he said. "Please have good luck with whatever it is you must do."

Then with a wave, Yukimura turned away. Ieyasu was about to walk into the armory when he heard the enthusiastic Yukimura saying, "Would you join me on this quest?"

"Sure, if you'll join me in bed," came the shady reply.

"Okay!" Yukimura replied with a bright innocence. "But you'll have to wait until Oyakata-sama can pay for a bed."

Oh gods.

Ieyasu turned around and spotted a quite shady guy grinning perversely over Yukimura. The shady guy had one hand around Yukimura's waist that the kid seemed completely oblivious to. Because let's face it. If Ieyasu could change his age for the sake of bumping up his stats, then maybe someone else did as well. Without hesitation, he ran over and pulled Yukimura away from that guy.

"Change of plans!" Ieyasu said with a forced smile. He took Yukimura's hand and began to run the other way. "I'll go on the quest with you!"

"Really?" Yukimura asked, his eyes shining with excitement. "Thank you so much, Ieyasu-dono!"

* * *

"So what exactly are we doing?" Ieyasu asked as he stared at Yukimura who was climbing up a tree.

"The first part of the quest was figuring out the friend system," Yukimura said.

Ieyasu nodded. "Yup. We've done that." He flipped through his menu, double-checking that Yukimura was indeed categorized as his friend. Granted, Yukimura was the only person that was categorized as his friend. He didn't know anyone else in the game. Nor was he interested in making any.

"The second is to gather the honey from the trees," Yukimura said. "If you check the current Quest log, you can see it, too."

Oh. So that was why that icon was blinking.

"… We have to fight a bear?" Ieyasu couldn't help but to wonder out loud. What was Hideyoshi thinking when he made this game? This was crazy! Who the hell thought of things like this for beginner's quests?

"That's why we have to gather the honey," Yukimura pointed out. "So we can attract the bear."

"And then we sacrifice the bear… Yukimura, what kind of quest is this again?"

"The beginner's guide, I think."

Ieyasu checked it and yup. It was most definitely for the beginners. Sighing, Ieyasu glanced at the tree next to him. Well, two people working would make this go faster, right?

He climbed it.

* * *

Humming under his breath, Ieyasu reached over towards the beehive that was set so innocently on the tree. It should have been easy. By all rights, all he had to do really was just tip the thing over.

Then Yukimura whispered, "Ieyasu-dono. Don't look behind you."

Do you know what happens when people tell you not to do something?

You end up doing it.

Ieyasu glanced behind himself and well… There was a swarm of angry bees behind him. He glanced down at Yukimura, who was looking up at him on the ground with wide, panicked eyes (Ieyasu did not fail to notice the angry bee marks on the kid). Then, without warning, he did the only logical thing.

He jumped.

They screamed as the bees chased them through the forest. And although it was terrifying at the time, Ieyasu did have to admit that it was kind of fun (but only after drinking large gulps of sake to drown out the bee stings).

* * *

Trying to get the honey part two went just as horribly as their first attempt. And don't even get Ieyasu started on their third attempt! They were both covered with bee stings when they stumbled back into town, collapsing at the cheapest inn for a bit of food to help them heal.

"How the hell is this a beginner's quest?" Ieyasu moaned as he rested his head against the wooden table. "I've never had my life go down to the danger zone so fast and I've spent all my time training in the woods."

"You mustn't lose hope, Ieyasu-dono!" Yukimura protested, looking at the yellow-clad man with earnest eyes. "There must be something that we did not understand! There has to be a way to figure this out."

But Yukimura looked equally tired out by all of this as he punched the table with his fists. Once again, Ieyasu couldn't help but to wonder how old he really was, because there was no way that Yukimura looked his age. There was way too much hope and trust for an average teenager.

"Looks like you guys are having the same problem as I am."

Ieyasu glanced up as a stranger sat in front of them. He looked to be about their age, but Ieyasu knew how deceptive that was. The man in front of them had crazy white hair and an eyepatch over his left eye. He had a purple jacket around his shoulders with nothing under it (Perhaps this was the fashion that was currently 'in' in the game?). He wore purple pants with high-black boots, and sat with an attitude that spoke volumes. He was also covered in bee stings, which brought them back to the problem at hand.

"Ah? You as well, Mister…?" Yukimura asked as he looked at the newcomer with curious eyes.

"Call me Motochika," the guy answered with a grin.

"I'm Yukimura of the Takedas," Yukimura declared with a proud smile. "Pleased to meet you, Motochika-dono!"

"I'm Ieyasu," Ieyasu added quickly. "But uh… Isn't this a quest that's supposed to be for two people?"

"Two or more," Yukimura amended. "Two is the least amount of people necessary for it."

Motochika nodded. "I had a guy, but he gave up on the quest. I think he got sick of the bee stings. And to be honest, I'm starting to get sick of it, too."

"How long have you been working on this, Motochika-dono?" Yukimura asked.

"Three days."

Someone willingly spent three days on this stupid quest? Ieyasu sighed a little. All the levels you could potentially gain in three days... Oh great. If someone spent three days, just trying to figure this out, and didn't succeed, what were the chance they had of getting past the bees?

"What if we tried a different method?"

Both Ieyasu and Motochika turned to stare at Yukimura who grinned innocently at them.

* * *

Ieyasu cursed lightly under his breath. He knew there was a reason why normal people didn't wear bright yellow. He squinted up, looking up at the trees, where Yukimura and Motochika were both in position. They both gave him thumbs up, as if they weren't just about to sacrifice him to the bees.

Despite feeling like that, he smiled back at them as if he was ready for this.

Curse him and his goody-two-shoes nature.

And with a wave of his hand as the signal, both Yukimura and Motochika cut off the beehives from the trees, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud smack. Just as predicted, the bees angrily buzzed around, their attention falling on the brightest color in the forest: Ieyasu's bright yellow hoodie. Taking in a deep breath, Ieyasu let out a loud bellow, attracting any other attention of the bees that weren't looking at him. As soon as the angry buzzing swelled to the point where Ieyasu couldn't force himself to stand still anymore, he ran, leading the bees away from his two newfound friends, hoping against hope that the two would get the honey so that they could finally stop this stupid quest.

* * *

Ieyasu lost track of how far he had ran. All he knew was that he was running through the dark, green forest filled without looking as to where he was going. Although there was a good possibility that he had been here before during his training, he hadn't paid much attention back then or now to figure it out. Good thing this wasn't real life, or else he would have been lost a long time ago. Luckily enough, due to his habits of training out in the forest alone, he had made sure to upgrade his map system to its full potential. If all else failed, he could just use it to locate his two friends…

Ah.

He had friends now.

There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, almost like a small tingle of… joy? He wasn't too sure what it was. He had never had a moment like this before. Not even in the real world, where he had people to hang out with if things ever got too boring. Granted, he had never really considered them 'friends.' More like close acquaintances to pass the time with. But here, in this game, he hadn't bothered even with that. He wasn't planning to stay here long, after all. He was going to get out and get back to his real life.

It appeared that he didn't realize how lonely he was until Yukimura had accidentally walked into him. But as he ran through the forest, chased by the angry bees, he couldn't help but to think that he could get used to this. His friends were kind of weird and liked to wear revealing clothes, but they were willing to put up with him. They laughed at his jokes and they were willing to work with him. They were kind of fun to be around.

Didn't that make this worth it?

As soon as that thought entered his mind, Ieyasu couldn't help but to notice the eerie silence of this part of the forest. Now that he glanced around, the bees were nowhere to be found. Oh no. Did they go back? Did that mean that they failed? Ieyasu frowned. What to do…?

_Ping!_

A small notification blinked to the side, letting Ieyasu know that he had an incoming message. He felt uneasy, because the last time that happened, he and the rest of the players of Sengoku Basara were told that they couldn't escape the game unless they died. But figuring that there couldn't be yet another just as dramatic message, he clicked it open.

_Friend Yukimura wrote:_

_We have achieved the honey, Ieyasu-dono! Please return at your earliest convenience!_

Ieyasu chuckled lightly at the wording. How polite! But it was nice to know that they had finally been able to get the honey. He felt himself relax at the message. What could go wrong now? They had the honey and now they were almost through with their quest. All they had to do was…

A low growl filled the air around them. Ieyasu blinked slowly and glanced around. What was that sound…? There. In the darkness of the trees, were two glowing red eyes that were staring at Ieyasu. Drat. He must've triggered a monster trap somehow.

Quickly clicking the reply button, Ieyasu wrote:

_Ran into trouble. Will be there soon._

As soon as his finger hit the 'send' button, the monster revealed itself. The head of the monster looked like a monkey, but the body looked more like that of a grey and black raccoon. Its legs were bright yellow with black stripes, like powerful tiger legs, and the tail coiled up with the head of a snake, hissing at Ieyasu with its forked tongue. Oh gods. Ieyasu had seen pictures of that creature in legend.

A nue.

When Ieyasu had been younger, his father had read him the story of Emperor Konoe, who had suffered terribly due to a nue that plagued his dreams. A samurai shot it down one night, allowing the Emperor peaceful slumber. But in return, the samurai had suffered a horrible death at the bottom of the sea, because nue brought misfortune. And this game wanted Ieyasu to fight against that creature?!

Gulping loudly, Ieyasu got into his fighting stance. Damn it. Why hadn't he stocked up on more powerful armor when he had the chance? Why didn't he get weapons like normal players? Why had he thought that using his own fists would be something fun to do?

The nue crouched, watching Ieyasu with both its monkey eyes and snake eyes. Then without warning, it launched itself at the boy, powerful tiger paw coming down at him. He just had a fraction of a second to react, and really, what was he supposed to do? He punched at the paw with all of his power, hoping against hope that this would be enough. There was a burst of a small explosion at the impact, and at the end of it all, Ieyasu found himself thrown to the ground, a tenth of his health bar down. He glanced up, but the nue had hardly suffered any damage.

Damn. Did the nue have a higher level…?

He didn't have long of a time to ponder on that. The nue leapt forward again, deteremined to bring down Ieyasu's life down to zero. He couldn't meet it head-on. Not without suffering too much for it. He needed a different plan. He quickly jumped out of the way, rolling as he landed. Think, Ieyasu! Think! What can I do?

As he rolled away to dodge yet another strike, he heard the familiar sound of an incoming message. Without thinking, he clicked it open.

_Friend Motochika wrote:_

_Need help? Send us your location._

Oh.

That was right. Why hadn't he thought of that before? He had friends now. He had people he could rely on to help him. He wasn't fighting alone out in the forest anymore. Ieyasu didn't hesitate to shoot back a message that detailed his location on the map. But he did have a small linger doubt of 'would they be able to find me?' After all, he had run for quite a while, and he wasn't even sure how good their map system was…

No. He was going to trust them. They were his friends, and they would make it. He just had to believe in their abilities to find him.

Until then, he was just going to have to survive against the nue.

* * *

Crap.

His life was down in the danger zone and his friends were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he made the wrong choice? Should he have not trusted them? Ieyasu gritted his teeth as he forced his body to stand up. 99% realism meant that he could feel his muscles throb with wariness, and every little scratch and scrape ached with a searing pain. His body didn't want to stand up, and Ieyasu never wanted to hate the game as much as he did then.

He heard the chattering of a monkey's laughter and felt his insides tighten with fear. If they collided now, he had no chance of surviving…

"Shit!"

Just as the curse left his mouth, the nue leapt for the final kill…

And was abruptly stopped by a blade. Ieyasu couldn't help but to stare blankly at the familiar white jacket outlined in purple. What…?

Then the person was moving, expertly maneuvering his blades and driving the nue back. And just when it seemed like the white-haired man was winning, a flash of red jumped into the picture with twin spears.

"Ieyasu-dono!" he shouted.

And closely behind was Motochika, who quickly knelt next to Ieyasu, pulling out potions. "Damn it, man! Why the hell did you run so far?!"

Ieyasu didn't remember the rest of the fight. All he knew was that the flashes of white accented by purple intermixed with the flashes of red, and that Motochika yelled quite a lot. All he knew was that his friends made it (albeit a little late), but they came. They came, and he was safe.

* * *

"Ieyasu-dono! Motochika-dono!" Yukimura exclaimed when he opened the door to their shared room. "There's something interesting happening out in the town square!"

It had been a week since the three of them had first decided to join forces to finish this quest. They had just finished it yesterday and had decided to spend last night celebrating. Ieyasu hadn't even noticed that Yukimura had gotten up to leave come morning, but he supposed he had been tired from sacrificing that bear…

The man in white jacket with purple accents left soon after fighting off the nue. He had barely glanced at them before stalking off, ignoring any shouts of thanks or questions for his name from the trio. It was such a pity, because Ieyasu would really like to be able to thank that man. But he supposed that would just have to wait, because Yukimura was jumping excitedly up and down, trying to get the other two just as fired up.

"Alright, alright! I'm getting up! I'm getting up!" Motochika groaned as he tried to peel himself off of the couch.

Due to the unfortunate fact that the inn only had one room left by the time the three decided to crash in, they had to share this one room with two beds. Motochika had taken the higher road by deciding to sleep on the couch, but to be honest, Ieyasu doubted that any of them got any sleep. The fact that Yukimura was awake and so energetic was just proof again that he was of younger age than the other two in the room.

"Come on! We have to hurry!" Yukimura whined. "I don't know for how long they'll be there."

"If this is another ploy to get us to buy you more dangos, I'm going to beat you up, brat!" Motochika declared as he finally sat up.

"Aw, don't be like that, Motochika!" Ieyasu said with a light smile. "If Yukimura wants dango-"

"He blew off all of our quest money on it!" Motochika roared, but there wasn't any fire behind his words. "All we have as proof of that stupid quest is the leftover honey, various experience points, and painful memories of bee stings! If you're going to buy dango, Yukimura, at least _share it with us_!"

Ieyasu laughed lightly as he stretched. "He did give us one stick each."

Motochika just groaned at the reminder. Because when Ieyasu said 'one stick each,' he literally meant just that. There weren't any dangos on the sticks. Yukimura was surprisingly stingy with his favorite snack food.

"Come on, come on!" Yukimura shouted, completely ignoring the exchange. "Let's go! Let's go!"

So with a sigh and an amused shrug, Ieyasu and Motochika followed Yukimura to the town square.

* * *

"I'm just saying," the man in the middle of the town square reasoned. "It's already been a month, but none of us are even motivated in trying to figure out the rest of this game!"

"Well, if you're so damned powerful, why don't you do something about it?" someone shouted back.

The man in the middle of the town square was a well-built man with long brown hair. He adorned three feathers in his hair, and only kept on the left part of his yellow robe on his shoulder. The right side hung down around his red belt around his waist. He carried a giant sword on his back, but for some reason, Ieyasu got the feeling that this man was gentler than he appeared.

"I am! I may be powerful, but it's not going to be enough! If you guys would just join me-"

"What? And sacrifice our lives? Did you forget that we die if we make even the smallest of mistakes?"

Ieyasu frowned. What was with these people? If they didn't want to die, they should just become stronger. The man with the long hair was right. Ieyasu felt a small pang of guilt at the realization that he had completely forgotten about progressing through the game due to the fun they were having with the quest. He had lost a week of training that could've been spent becoming stronger!

"What do you think?" Yukimura asked as he grinned at Motochika and Ieyasu, completely clueless to the inner turmoil within Ieyasu.

"… What?" Motochika asked, looking at the youngster as if he had lost his mind.

"We should join him!"

Oh no. There was that glint in Yukimura's eyes. And in the one week that Ieyasu had spent with the kid had taught him anything, it was run when you saw that glint. But for the life of him, he couldn't walk away from the scene before him. Because didn't the man have a point? Ieyasu could get as strong as he wanted, but would that really be enough? Just as the man had said, wouldn't Ieyasu need someone by his side? Just as the fight against the nue had demonstrated?

"Aw hell no. Ieyasu, stop that grin on your face!" Motochika exclaimed, giving both Yukimura and Ieyasu an exasperated look.

"Grin? What grin?" Ieyasu asked innocently. But he could feel his lips stretched up in an excited smile at the potential adventure waiting for them. "Besides, doesn't it interest you, Motochika? Us, the saviors of _Sengoku Basara_!"

"No." Motochika crossed his arms, looking angry, but he was already hooked on the idea, Ieyasu could tell. They might have spent just a week together, but it had been a week filled with intense battles against a bee swarm, a nue, and a bear. Ieyasu knew when to read his friend's interests.

"Hey mister!" Ieyasu shouted at the man standing in the town square. The man's shoulders were shagging from the general negative criticisms from the crowd. Time to change that. "We're in! Let's save everybody!"

The man's face brightened at that response. He grinned widely, looking much more friendly than before. There was hope shining in those eyes, and Ieyasu felt the glory of doing a good deed. "Finally! This is so great! My name is Keiji!"

"My name is Yukimura of the Takedas! This is Ieyasu-dono and Motochika-dono! Pleased to meet you, Keiji-dono. Please accept my friend request!" Yukimura declared quickly as he sent the request over. Ieyasu followed suit.

"Oi! I didn't agree to any of this!" Motochika protested, but he also sent one of his own, grumbling all the way.

Ieyasu felt that strange tingle in his stomach again. That fluttering of joy that danced at his fingertips as he received the "Friendship Request Accepted!" message. So this was what they meant when they said that games were addicting. It had never been about fighting or getting stronger or even, to a point, completing the game.

It was about meeting people. It was about forming groups, making friends who could balance you out in fights.

It was all about bonds.

Tokugawa Ieyasu – Trial: Pass

* * *

Originally, I was going to have Chosokabe join in later in the game. But then Keiji made an appearance, and I really wanted to have the alliance formed during The Last Party to mean something.

And Shingen will be appearing in this story later. After Yukimura gets a chance to develop a little more without him. ;)


	3. The Trial of Chosokabe Motochika

"Damn it, Mori!" Motochika roared as he and others sank at an alarming rate into the swamp's marsh. "Damn you!"

The player called Mori barely glanced back at them, looking down on all of them in that superior way that he always did. And without looking back, he walked off, leaving them to drown in the marsh. Leaving them to die.

"Mori!" Motochika screamed after the shadows of the swamp. "Get back here and help us!"

* * *

"Aw hell no! I refuse!" Motochika yelled. "Why the hell do I have to go along with all of this?"

"You know you didn't have to send me a friend request, right?" Keiji reminded him, giving him a strange look. "Nor did you have to join us."

Motochika gritted his teeth and looked away. How could he ever formulate the words? The real reason why he didn't like Keiji or teaming up in a big group like this… He had been okay with Ieyasu and Yukimura. Three people in a group wasn't that bad, especially when it had been Ieyasu and Yukimura. But when it became a bigger group…

"We just finished a quest!" Motochika growled, glaring at the new comer with mistrust. "We need to rest up. There's no time for another quest!"

"But we already rested for so long," Yukimura whined. "Let's do another quest! It'll be fun!"

"Yukimura, don't you think that we're focusing too much on quests?" Ieyasu pointed out. "I mean… if we want to end this game quickly, shouldn't we be focusing on getting stronger?"

"I thought so, too," Keiji agreed. "But doesn't that make this game too simple?"

"… Excuse me?" Motochika demanded. Too simple? Exactly what about gathering levels and killing boss monsters were "too simple" for the long-haired man?

"Come on. Who creates a MMORPG for the sake of growing strong and destroying bosses? It's always about explorations. Think about it. Do you know how many programmers they gathered to help create this game? Do you know how long it must have taken them to put something this beautiful together? Therefore, there had to be a reason why they would put so many different kinds of quests."

"I see! That makes perfect sense!" Yukimura exclaimed, already becoming excited. "So we should take on this quest and all the quests in this game!"

"That would take too long!" Ieyasu snapped. Then he paused, realizing that he had lost his temper. Blushing slightly, he quickly composed himself, giving Yukimura an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. It's just… The fastest way to complete a game is by destroying the bosses, isn't it? Because if that's not the case then… _What was I working so hard for?_"

"Ieyasu's right. This is stupid," Motochika growled to Keiji. "Even if there are quests, the game's always game over once you defeat the top boss. There's no need to go through the trouble of completing quests."

Yukimura frowned at that. "Oh," he mumbled, already disheartened by the whole thing. "So we should just go out and train? I mean… that's fine by me. But I thought…"

At Yukimura's sudden silence, even Motochika became curious.

"What is it?"

"… I wanted to see if I could find Oyakata-sama again."

* * *

When Motochika had stood there in the Beginner's Town Square, with the face of Hideyoshi informing all the players of their incoming doom, he had thought that this was it. He was finally going to have the challenge in his life that would make him famous. He was going to have the most fun in his 16 years of life.

It had been easy then. He had been trusting. After all, they all just wanted to get out, right? Of course, they were all going to try hard to defeat this game. He didn't see Mori coming. Hell, he didn't think anyone saw Mori coming.

Motochika could still hear the screams of his fellow friends as they sank into the swamp. He could remember the shouts of betrayal. The question "_How could you_?" and the words "_Don't leave us_," forever echoed in his ears. He remembered Mori's calmness. His coldness.

He didn't want to be like that bastard.

But there was also no guarantee that any of the people he was currently traveling with wouldn't do it to him, either. After all, he barely knew these guys for about a week, and Keiji even less. Out of all of them, Yukimura seemed the least likely. But then Motochika reminded himself about the youngster's viciousness when it came to dangos, and suddenly, the self-proclaimed ogre wasn't so sure anymore. There was Ieyasu, who seemed honest and sturdy, but he was so obsessed about becoming stronger. Nothing good ever came out of those who became easily obsessed. Just look at Mori.

And don't even get him started on that Keiji.

At this moment in time, many people would most likely pause to ask, "Why does he not leave?" Well, the truth of the matter would be that it never occurred to Motochika that he could leave. That and to be thoroughly honest, Motochika was a bit of a softie like that. In that week that he spent trying to finish the quest with Yukimura and Ieyasu, he had found himself becoming attached to the strange duo, despite not knowing much about them. And to suddenly abandon them to this unknown variable, Keiji…

Well, Motochika said it before, right? He didn't want to be like that bastard.

Never agin.

* * *

"So I've been meaning to ask… who's this Oyakata-sama?" Ieyasu asked, finally voicing the question that everyone had been thinking.

The group had, after being unable to decide on their next task, unanimously agreed to go to a nearby inn for a quick bite to eat. So there they sat, Ieyasu next to Motochika, who sat across from Yukimura and Keiji. In-mid motion of moving his food to his mouth, Ieyasu had finally gathered his courage to ask the question. All eyes focused on Yukimura, waiting for his answer.

"Oyakata-sama is Oyakata-sama," Yukimura answered easily. "When everything began, Oyakata-sama took me in and help me raise my stats. He took in a whole bunch of us, actually. We called ourselves the Takedas."

"And that's why you say you're from Takeda," Ieyasu said, nodding in understanding. "It's your guild name!"

"So you've been with him since the beginning of the game?" Keiji asked, looking interested.

Yukimura nodded to both of them. "But then…" His face darkened at the memory. "We were in the Diyu Cave on a quest. I don't remember much of it. Just that it was dark and there were these two giants… Their fighting was very inspiring and I felt alit with passion when I think about it…. Ah, anyways, when I came to, I was outside but Oyakata-sama was no where to be found."

The group paused, all unable to bring themselves to say the things that was on their minds. If Yukimura had fought against monsters, especially two highly leveled ones, and Oyakata-sama didn't make it back… Then didn't that mean…? But Yukimura seemed to not notice as he continued on with his story.

"I tried to send him a message, but most of them bounced back to me. I was really scared for a minute that he might have just abandoned me…" Yukimura faltered a little. Then his face brightened as he remembered the rest of the tale. "Then I got this message from Oyakata-sama that said that this was all part of my training. He said that he would be disbanding the Takedas because we needed to learn how to stand on our own. I was so happy that he was okay. So I decided to take on as much quests as I could so that I can grow strong. That way, when Oyakata-sama sees me again, he can be proud of this vassel."

"And he hasn't contacted you since?" Motochika couldn't help but to ask, a small feeling of dread gnawing inside of him. Because wasn't it obvious what happened to Oyakata-sama? Was Yukimura really that stupid?

"Nope!" Yukimura answered cheerily. "But see? This is why we have to go on quests."

Motochika glanced to his side and noticed that Ieyasu seemed to share his reluctance. Keiji, however, seemed to not have gotten the memo.

"Then let's do it!" he declared with a bright smile. "Let's go to the Diyu Cave and see if we can pick up his trail! Besides, since this will be a self-proclaimed quest, we can even train while we're at it. Would that be okay with you, Ieyasu, Motochika?"

No. It was not alright. What part of he didn't want to travel with them did this man not understand? But hell if Motochika would be like that bastard and abandon his friends.

"Tch! Fine! Let's do it!"

* * *

"Huh… This… isn't what I was imagining at all," Keiji declared as he stared at the giant gates before them.

The gate was made out of pure black stone (perhaps granite?). There were twin dragons on the two pillars on either side of the gate, climbing up before resting their heads at the top, glaring down at all the people walking by. At the center of the top of the gate was a face twisted in pain, howling with agony. Motochika did not miss the twin horns atop the face's forehead, signifying a demon.

But why would a demon of hell be suffering on top of the Cave's gate?

"This is the Diyu Cave?" Ieyasu asked, looking at Yukimura, who was staring at the gates with excited eyes lit with passion. "… By any chance, when we say 'Diyu,' we don't actually mean... _Hell_?"

"Oh, so it had another name?" was the naïve answer they received.

Motochika groaned. "You have got to be kidding me. We're going to the Hell? Wait. Does that mean we're now at the Gates of Hell? Seriously, Yukimura? You didn't know?"

Then again, he supposed he couldn't blame it on the young gamer. Yukimura had a bad habit of rushing forward without checking any other information. It was exactly the reason why this Keiji person was bad. They hadn't checked anything on him either! And here they were, on an unofficial quest without any kind of backup or any way out.

"Here," Keiji said, bringing up his menu and pressing a few buttons. Motochika as well as the rest of the group, all received a beeping sound of gifted items.

"… Teleportation crystal?" Ieyasu asked. "Oh! That's so useful!"

"Thank you so much, Keiji-dono!"

"They should all be set to the town. So that when things go wrong, just use the crystals to get out," Keiji said with a smile.

Motochika couldn't help but to feel like that was directed at him. "Like hell I'll use it." He rejected the crystal without hesitation, scowling at the surprised looking Keiji. "I don't need something like this." _And you sure as hell can't buy my trust._

And he walked in through the Gates of Hell, knowing that his friends would follow.

* * *

"In the story of Son Goku, the Monkey King, he broke in through the Gates of Hell and met the guardians, Gozu and Mezu. Gozu had a head of an ox while Mezu had the face of a horse. And the two opposed Goku, but the Monkey King was too strong. He overwhelmed them and crossed out his name and his followers' names off the record of the living souls, making sure that he and his followers would forever be immortal," Ieyasu recalled as they walked through the dark cave.

"Now why would you know crap like that?" Motochika couldn't help but to ask. He had always found it kind of stupid for people to remember silly things like that for games. Like… What was the point of it? They were playing a game that had nothing to do with mythology or stories. Sure, the monsters they met could potentially be sourced from old stories, but that didn't give them an idea of their weakness or strengths. It was just useless backstory.

Ieyasu's face turned red and he looked down at the ground. "Sorry. I guess that's true. But… it's what I thought of when Yukimura mentioned the two giants…"

"I think it's pretty cool that you know," Keiji declared, giving Motochika a look, which the one-eyed man ignored. "The creators of the game obviously thought this through very carefully. The more we know about it, the more we could try to figure out what they were thinking when they created this game."

Motochika snorted. Right. Like he couldn't tell that Keiji was trying to pander to Ieyasu's insecurities. What an obvious tactic to use to get his friends' trusts. He was going to have to work harder if he thought Motochika would fall for something so obvious.

"Wait. This place looks familiar," Yukimura said, stopping suddenly. He glanced around, frowning with concentration. "I think it was around here that…"

A loud roar of battle was the only warning they had until a giant spiked club landed harshly on the ground by Ieyasu. Luckily enough, the area wasn't declared a danger zone, which meant that if they ran now, they would be able to get away. Damn. Maybe he should have accepted that crystal. He would actually be able to get out of here without too much of damage. Now his friends (and Keiji) were stuck here with him because of his stupid pride!

"... This happened last time, too," Yukimura remarked.

"A little warning would have been nice!" Motochika snapped as he grabbed forth his anchor that was his choice of weapon.

There were two giant figures before them, both standing at perhaps 10 feet each. Both had massive bodies with impressive muscles, but it was their heads that brought shivers down Motochika's spine. One had the face of a horse and the other had a head of an ox, both of their lips drawn back into a snarl. Their bodies were covered in high-leveled armors, and one carried a giant axe while the other carried a spiked club. The horse-faced monster, Mezu, picked up its club, letting out a low neigh that rumbled through the cave.

"'And the Guardians of Hell stood before them'…" Ieyasu whispered, his face paling as he secured the gauntlets on his hands. Motochika never quite understood why he preferred to use his own fists instead of fighting with a weapon. But hey. Everyone had different fighting styles. Motochika wasn't going to make a big deal over it.

"Gozu and Mezu, I presume?" Keiji asked, a forced smile on his face. He drew forth a giant sword, holding it front of him to protect himself.

"Sorry," Yukimura said, looking at Motochika. He took out his twin spears, holding in front of him in a defensive stance. "I should have paid more attention."

"Tch!" Like hell Motochika could blame the kid for this. Not when Yukimura lost his Oyakata-sama the last time he was here. Motochika would make sure that Yukimura didn't lose anyone else in this cave. Not even that stupid Keiji.

Gozu let out a loud moo-like roar before swinging down its axe with surprising speed. Motochika just barely had enough time to block it. While he held Gozu's axe back, Ieyasu lashed out, punching the ox's face with all his might. But instead of damage, Gozu just smirked with that creepy ox-face and head-butted Ieyasu down to the ground. Then the monster refocused on Motochika. In the background, he heard Keiji and Yukimura moving, weapons clanking with force of the fight, and the neighs of Mezu. But how could he focus on that when Gozu drew its axe back, swinging it back down with more force than before?

"Shit!"

And this time, they didn't have that strange white-haired guy to help them out. There wasn't any special counter they had hidden under their sleeves. It was just them and those stupid crystals that he should have accepted when he had the chance…

"This isn't going to work," Keiji yelled, catching Motochika's attention. "We need to get out of here. Let's retreat for now!"

Motochika's eyes met Ieyasu's (who had picked himself up from the ground), both of them agreeing silently to the command. The one-eyed man really hated the thought of listening to Keiji, but this was better than everyone here dying due to his stubbornness. Ieyasu punched Gozu's face, this time with a special attack, watching satisfied when the ox's face contorted with pain. It loosened the grip on its axe, which gave Motochika enough chance to push the monster down.

The two high fived each other as they began to run, making sure that Yukimura and Keiji were not too far behind, Mezu fallen to the ground as well.

"Heh! You know, despite the fact that we're running for our lives, this is kind of fun!" Ieyasu said as they ran towards the exit of Hell.

"Only you would find this kind of things amusing," Motochika groaned.

"But it was a fun battle!" Yukimura chimed in. "We should challenge them again when we're stronger!"

"Okay, correction. Only the _two_ of you would find this amusing."

Keiji laughed loudly at that. "Sounds like you guys knew each other for a long time."

Was that jealousy in that man's laughter? What a strange person…

Behind them, they heard the roars of the two guardians. And with enough force to make the entire cave shake, the two began to chase the group, letting out animalistic roars that a horse or an ox probably didn't make in nature. If they got caught like this… Motochika gritted his teeth. He hated this.

"Get out of here!" he snapped at them. "Use the crystals and teleport to some place safe!"

"Don't be brazen, Motochika-dono!" Yukimura declared. "We cannot leave you!"

"Seriously! What kind of guys do you take us for?" Ieyasu added, scowling. "We're a group with a strong bond that can't be broken by two beasts, even if they're the Guardians of Hell. We're not leaving you behind."

"You guys are being stupid!" Motochika growled. "Do you want to die? It's better this way!" And with that, he stopped running, turning to face the two giants that were quickly approaching the group. He held his anchor loosely in his hands, ready to fight. "This is the least I can do…"

"Stop trying to look so cool," Keiji said, coming to stand by Motochika's side. "We're in this together."

"Don't come to me when you die!" Motochika snapped. But he didn't miss the way both Ieyasu and Yukimura stood by his other side, giving him a sheepish smile each.

_Damned fools! Didn't they know that they could die?_

Another roar filled the cave and it served as a warning enough as the two cave-shaking giants came rushing towards them. The club came smashing down to the ground again, splitting the group and the ground below them.

Keiji let out a low whistle, staring at the shattered ground. "That would hurt if we get crushed…"

Of course Motochika was stuck with him. On the other side of the split ground was Ieyasu and Yukimura, already trying to tackle down Gozu and its axe.

"Stay out of my way!" the one-eyed man told Keiji before launching his anchor towards the unsuspecting Mezu.

The horse let out a neigh before using its club to knock the anchor down. But that wasn't the only plan on his mind. Motochika jumped up, riding on his anchor like a surfboard before using it to slam into the horse face of Mezu. But instead of massive damage as he had hoped it would deal, Mezu barely let out a whine, its health bar barely decreasing. It swung its club, catching Keiji unawares before smashing him against the wall of the cave. A low groan left his mouth as he fell, but Keiji grabbed him, making sure to dodge any attacks from Mezu meanwhile.

"We can't win like that," Keiji told him sternly. "Look, I get that you don't like me and that you don't want to work with me. But that's just going to get all of us killed. So for now, what do you say to a truce?"

"I don't trust you," Motochika replied honestly. Keiji's lips thinned into a line and the one-eyed man could hear the disapproval from a mile away. "But I'm not going to let Ieyasu and Yukimura suffer because of me."

The long-haired man smiled lightly at that. "Alright," he said. "Then let's work together."

"Alright," Motochika agreed. "You attack low, I'll attack high."

"Finally. Something we can both agree on."

* * *

Keiji was actually pretty formidable, much to Motochika's surprise. Despite his usual bright smiles and inability to catch onto serious atmospheres, the long-haired man swung his broad sword with speed and power that distracted Mezu long enough for Motochika to sneak up on the horse's face to smash it with his anchor. And while Mezu swung its club at Motochika, Keiji would slice at the horse-giant's legs, causing it to be distracted long enough for Motochika to hurt it again.

The one-eyed man soon lost track of time or how much damage they were able to deal. All he knew was that with a hideous sound of a neigh, Mezu keeled over, collapsing to the ground. There was a small pause of silence before Mezu exploded into pieces of data, signifying the end of the battle.

"Aha! See that? That's how you-" the words died on Motochika's throat when one of Yukimura's spears flew towards him and embedded on the cave war besides the one-eyed man. "Oi! Watch where you throw that thing!"

He watched in shock as Yukimura was thrown to the side, hitting the ground near the hole that Mezu had created moments before. Ieyasu let out a battle cry before punching Gozu, causing the monster to finally explode into data. Of course, Motochika had even less of a time to focus on that. If he let Yukimura be, he looked like he might fall into the ground any minute now!

"Yukimura!" Ieyasu shouted, not stopping to reveal in the fact that he had won.

But he paused when he realized that Motochika was already by the young gamer's side, pulling him up and away from the hole of the ground. The one-eyed man grinned up at him, carefully holding the unconscious teen.

"We're good over here too," he assured Ieyasu.

There was a loud sigh of relief before Ieyasu crumpled down to the ground. Keiji slowly walked over to him, sitting down next to him. Motochika couldn't help but to think that maybe, just maybe, having this group might not be so much of a bad thing. You know, as long as it didn't get any larger.

"_Don't leave us…_"

Motochika paused. What was that? He tightened his grip on Yukimura. Was he the only one he heard that? Was that just in his head? Why did he hear that? What was that whisper? He glanced around wildly, trying to pinpoint the location of the sound.

"_How could you? …How could you!? … HOW COULD YOU_?!"

Something grabbed his ankles and yanked him down hard, a yelp of surprise leaving his mouth involuntarily at the sudden attack. He felt hands grab at him, choking him and attacking him, filling his nose with a scent of… marsh?

Realization flashed in his eyes as Motochika finally understood. This place was Diyu Cave, in other words, Hell. This was where all those who had died before must gather. And that meant the teammates that Mori had abandoned to the marsh were here as well. No, that wasn't quite true. Because it wasn't just Mori who had survived the marsh.

"Motochika!" Ieyasu shouted. "Are you alright?"

But it was drowned out by the whispers of the ghosts, wrapping their hands around Motochika's throat and legs as they dragged him towards the hole in the ground. But the problem was, Yukimura was still in Motochika's arms, being dragged down for the sins that had nothing to do with him. Because let's be honest. Out of everyone here, wasn't Yukimura the least likely to abandon his friends?

"Let me go!" Motochika begged the angry ghosts. "I'm sorry. I really am. But Yukimura had nothing to do with this. Let him go at least. You can kill me if that's what you want, but let him be! He has nothing to do with this!"

"_Don't leave us…_" came the whisper of the ghosts. "_Don't leave us… Don't leave us… How could you_?"

"I know! I know!"

How could he ever forget? The screams of his teammates mixed with his own, rising high in to the air as Mori looked down at them. Then Mori was gone, leaving them on their own, slowly sinking down, down, down. Motochika just remembered the panic. The sure determination that he didn't want to die. Not here. Not like this. He was not going to die. He remembered fighting. He remembered struggling. And he remembered lying on solid ground, wondering how he got there.

There had been yells. Excited yells of his friends who asked him to come save them. But Motochika…

"_Why did you leave us_?"

"I'm sorry!" Motochika yelled. "I was stupid. I was scared. I didn't want to die. And I know I shouldn't have. But I couldn't save you. I would have fallen again, and I was too tired to pull anyone else out. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

He felt his hands loosen its grip on Yukimura and forced himself to hold on tighter. He could feel himself being dragged down, slowly as if he was falling through the pits of marsh again. He could feel their ghastly hands against him, trying to pull him towards them. But why couldn't they understand? He couldn't die. Not here. Not now.

"Motochika!"

A hand shot out from the fog of the ghosts surrounding him and grabbed him, pulling him away from the ghosts of his past. Motochika reached blindly with one hand that wasn't holding onto Yukimura, surprise and relief filling him when he grabbed the offered hand. As soon as there was that hand of anchor, two more hands (these still wearing the familiar gauntlets) reached out and grabbed onto both Motochika and Yukimura. There was a tug of war, his new friends trying to pull him back to reality and his old friends that he had abandoned to die, once upon a time.

"_How could you?_"

"I did it because I'm human!" Motochika roared. "I'm sorry! And I'll die apologizing, but damn it, don't do this to Yukimura! That's my sin. He has nothing to do with this!"

"Nobody's going to die!" Ieyasu growled. "Motochika, we're going to save you both. Just hang in there!"

"You're not going to let go!" Keiji shouted after him. "You sent the friend request and we accepted. You could have left us anytime but you didn't, and vice versa. We're going to save you because that's what you would have done!"

"But I'm…!"

"What you did in your past is in the past. I'm not stupid enough to tell you to forget about it, but I'm telling you to let it go. Let them go," Ieyasu declared. "You are our friend here and now. That will have to be enough."

Let them go…? What was Ieyasu talking about? The ghosts were grabbing onto Motochika! Not the other way around! He was sinking to his doom because the ghosts of his pasts wanted revenge. Let them go? How? What…?

"Motochika, if you could please hurry…" Keiji added.

What were they talking about? Let go of what? Hurry what? He felt Yukimura stir in his arm. The young gamer seemed to glance around and whispered, "What's going on?"

"Ah, the best way to say it is that the ghosts of my past are hounding me," Motochika told him lightly, trying to grin. "I think there's a pretty good chance that we'll die."

"Then why don't you just let the ghosts go?"

… Again? Why was everyone telling him this? "And just how exactly am I supposed to do that?" Motochika asked drily.

"Forgive yourself."

It was two simple words but suddenly, Motochika understood what everyone was trying to tell him. All this time, it had been him, hadn't it? The reason why he refused to accept Keiji, the reason why he refused to be a team player, the reason why the ghosts were holding him down now… Weren't they all because he had been too frightened to forgive himself for abandoning his friends then? For leaving them behind in the swamp as he ran away, blaming it all on Mori when he had been the coward who had ran…

But by doing all of that, hadn't he just been digging himself into a deeper hole? He had been caging himself in, shackling himself down so that he couldn't reach out. So that he had no choice but to drown in the darkness of his own heart. So that he could never see clearly despite the kind intentions of those around him.

Oh.

Why couldn't he have seen this before? Why did it take him so long?

"I'm sorry, my friends," Motochika said finally. "But I understand now. I need to let you go. So be free of my darkness. Release me from these chains."

And suddenly, Motochika felt like he could breath again. The hands of the ghosts released him and backed away. Ieyasu's and Keiji's hands pulled him and Yukimura up to solid ground, and the four of them watched as the ghosts intertwined with one another as they flew up and around, filling the cave with the bright lights of the souls long dead.

"So that's what happens when we die?" Ieyasu asked softly as they continued to watch silently. "We become lights to fill this cave?"

No one had an answer to that. They just kept watching silently, content to have survived just one more day.

Chosokabe Motochika – Trial: Pass

* * *

Whew, this one was longer than usual.

I hope you enjoyed the special glimpse of Mori and Shingen that we had in this chapter. The next one shall hopefully be out soon!


	4. The Trial of Date Masamune

Somehow this chapter has turned itself into Masamune/Kojuro.

And in case anyone was wondering, Masamune is 15 years old and Kojuro is 24. Their avatars in the game, however, does not reflect that. Imagine their avatars to be their Senbasa self and you'll get the picture.

Now, onwards to the story!

* * *

The sword swung down, silencing the monster's howl with ease. And within seconds, the monster exploded into experience points, spreading the shattered data everywhere around the teen.

Masamune yawned before sheathing his sword. Boring. This game was so boring. He stretched, feeling the way the rest of his five swords at his side clacked lightly against him. Kojuro was so lucky that they were stuck in this game, because he had already lost the bet a long time ago. Not that it mattered. Nothing much caught his eyes… his eye anymore.

"Shall we move to another field?" Kojuro asked as he offered a small fruit for the younger teen.

The teen gave the field a once over. Slowly, some of the lower-level monsters were respawning again. Boring.

"Yeah," Masamune mumbled as he took the fruit. "Let's just go."

* * *

Kojuro was being a stupid prick. That was the only thing that Masamune could think. First was the antic with this game, and now he was walking around with that guilt clearly on his face, just like few months ago after the accident. His steps were always heavy, as if his shoulders were burdened by a tremendous weight of the world. He was eager to please, always jumping at a chance whenever Masamune even looked like he wanted to ask for something.

It was suffocating.

The only time Kojuro let him breath was on boring days like these, when Masamune was allowed to go free on the fields filled with monsters, taking his anger out on the low-leveled beings (because Kojuro was always mindful of the potential to die). So Masamune was stuck, day after day, on low-leveled fields, chasing after monsters to kill. And frankly, the one eyed teen had had enough. He was bored to tears to the point that not even English would leave his mouth.

"Masamune-sama?"

"You heard me," he said defiantly without a hint of English. "I want a challenge."

Hesitation. Kojuro couldn't trust himself to back Masamune. Kojuro hadn't been able to trust himself since the accident. But whatever Masamune wanted, he got. Because Kojuro was weak like that.

Lately, Kojuro had become boring as well.

* * *

The strange cat-like creature was pretty interesting to battle. But what was more fun was the pack of wolves that travelled with it. Masamune wasn't too sure why that was so or if that was important at all. All that mattered was that there was the rush of blood in his veins and he felt alive.

He knocked down a wolf in time to block another pair of fanged jaws. With a manic grin that hadn't graced his face since the beginning of this game (and let's be honest, that had been a ride of its own). There was no time to think about what Kojuro was doing. Masamune was busy. He was fighting off a pack of wolves while the cat watched carefully, its two tails twitching.

Now this. _This_ was life.

* * *

Okay, this was not cool. Masamune had been sure that he had delivered the killing blow. But instead of scattering into bits of data like all other monsters, the wolves just continued to grin at him, their dark fur obscuring any sign of blood or damage that Masamune surely must have caused. They jumped and attacked, syncing their bites in time. And for a brief moment, Masamune wondered if he should draw forth more of his blades.

The single blade in his right hand felt lonely.

And his back was wide open for any kind of attacks.

Long time ago, when Masamune still had both of his eyes, he and Kojuro often played violent games. Back then, Masamune always took on the offensive type roles, rushing forward to attack without any regard for his hp or mp. It had been fine then. Because Kojuro always backed him up. He always kept an eye on Masamune's stats for him, and always made sure to be a supporting class like a healer. Not only that, but Kojuro had always stood at Masamune's back, protecting it to make sure that they could get through another bout of Masamune's temper-induced game brawl.

But this wasn't long time ago.

This was _Sengoku Basara_.

And Masamune desperately needed Kojuro to have his back again. He glanced up and around, but that only proved to be his mistake. The wolves sensed his hesitation in bloodlust and launched at the one-eyed boy with renewed glee. Damn it! He managed to block one attack, but he didn't realize there was another attack coming from his right side.

Well, how was he supposed to? He was blind in his right eye.

And in that flash of sudden realization that he could potentially die, he screwed his one eye shut in anticipation of pain.

But it never came.

There could only be one person in the world who could jump in to protect him like that. Masamune felt his heart race because didn't this mean that Kojuro was back to being his old self? He wasn't going to obey all of Masamune's whims just because of that stupid guilt and they were going to hang out like they used to. Because Kojuro was just like Masamune's older brother. And Kojuro was going to take care of him again, not obey his every whims like some kind of a mind-slave.

"Ko-"

But the name died on his throat when his one good eye caught sight of an unfamiliar crimson red. Betrayal. That was what this was. How could Kojuro do this to him? But his traitorous mouth refused to open to voice out his complaints. And instead, a voice deeper than he would have expected resonated from the Crimson Red back that Masamune stared at.

"A pack of wolves against one man? I won't allow something so cowardly! I, Yukimura of the Takadas, humbly offer my assistance!"

And with twin spears that he spun into the air with much gusto, the Crimson Red (because Masamune didn't find him important enough to remember his name) moved with force and speed to match the wolves. For a split second, the intense feeling of betrayal and pitiful anger that he felt of being robbed of the chance for Kojuro to reclaim his post by Masamune's side was washed away by a strange jolt of electricity. But then the moment passed and all Masamune could think was, "How dare he pretend to be all noble and **shit**?"

He didn't realize that it was the first English word that crept into his thought since logging into this game and realizing, once again, that his right eye will never work again. Because it hadn't been his physical eye that had been ruined. It had been the part of his brain that sent out visual signals.

All he knew was that his hands had drawn forth all six of his swords and he fought back-to-back with the Crimson Red that was obviously not Kojuro.

* * *

Even with the other teen backing him up, moving in almost sync, the wolves did not back off. They circled around the two, growling lowly as they waited for another chance to jump in. And it was then that Masamune became certain of his hypothesis. These wolves could not be killed. Because he had seen the way the Crimson Red had pierced through a wolf's skull, he had felt the way his three swords sliced through wolf skin. But these wolves still stood back up and growled.

"**Hey**…" he called out in English without thinking. "This is obviously not working."

"So you've noticed it too?" the Crimson Red asked, wiping blood from his lips. When did that happen? How did he get hurt? Not that it mattered or anything. He wasn't important in Masamune's world. Whether the Crimson Red bled to death or not was not his business. What was more important was how to get out of this situation.

"I think it's the cat. It's been standing over there, watching us the whole time, **you know**?"

"… Cat?" The Crimson Red pointed around them. "There aren't any cats here."

Before Masamune could react to that, the air was filled with the sound of strangers yelling "Yukimura!" And with that, a flash of yellow appeared before them, punching a wolf down to the ground. The man didn't waste any time to run to the Crimson Red, asking if he was alright.

Masamune felt the pang of jealousy. But there was no time to think about that as another wolf leapt at them. Instead of his swords, an anchor went through the wolf, and a man scandalously clad in purple appeared before them all. Right behind him was another man with long hair and a huge sword that he swung down, scaring away the wolf more so than harming it.

For a second, it appeared as if the wolves were considering attacking them all. But then Kojuro drew forth his blade as well, and the wolves understood that the effort in taking down all six of them was going to be too much. With a sneering growl, the wolves left, one by one, allowing the group of boys to relax considerably. The four began to chatter amongst themselves, mentioning how odd it was for the monsters to have run. They were clearly some kinds of friends with one another. But Masamune could care less about that.

"Masamune-sama."

As revenge, the one-eyed teen ignored him in favor of turning to face the Crimson Red. When he realized that he was being stared at, the Crimson Red smiled brightly and held out his hand, effectively halting all conversation.

"I'm Yukimura of the Takedas," he said again.

Masamune didn't bother to take the offered hand or tell him his own name. He just raised his three swords up and with a manic grin demanded, "Fight me, Yukimura."

"Eh? B-but you're injured!"

"**No problem!**" And Masamune swung, knowing that the Crimson Red was going to dodge. Their weapons clashed, just as Masmune knew it would. And for a split second, he felt it again. The thrum of electricity that ran through his system. But then the moment was gone, and all he was left with was the all-consuming anger, burning away any and all feelings he had.

How dare you get in the way? How dare you stand at my back and protect it? How dare you fight beside me as if you belonged there? How dare you? How Dare You? HOW DARE YOU?!

The twin spears caught the six swords and threw it back. Then the Crimson Red began to jab with his spears, picking up speed as he did so. Masamune dodged a few and knocked the rest of it back with his swords before swinging them up again, much like claws. And the minute the Crimson Red hesitated in his attack, Masamune jumped in, scratching at the open chest. Crimson Red jumped back, putting some distance between them.

"You're pretty good," he told Crimson Red honestly. "But I'm better. **Understand?**"

"You're injured!" The Crimson Red stated, looking a little appalled at himself for fighting back. "No matter what you say, this won't be a fair fight at all. I, Yukimura, refuse to sink so low as to fight a man who can't fight with his full strength!"

And with that, a hand shot out and grabbed Masamune by the scruff of his neck. And holding him back with ease, especially with the pirate-looking gangster and long haired man and his frightening large sword, the man clad in yellow declared, "You heard him. Stop this nonsense."

* * *

"I apologize for this," Kojuro said, giving a small bow to the four. "This wasn't your problem at all, but you had to be involved."

There Kojuro went again, acting as if he was the one at fault. As if he was the one who pointed his sword at the Crimson Red. His shoulders were sagging, despite the rigid way he stood. He looked tired. Much tired than the man in his early 20's that he was supposed to be.

"Ah, it's all fine," said the man with the long hair. "Everything turned out okay, so it's all good."

Look! Even these guys felt sorry for Kojuro. Masamune snorted. He was sitting nearby, crossed legged and biting into another fruit that Kojuro got for him. The purple guy was sitting next to him, his anchor out and glaring at him as if Masamune was the wolf he should have slayed. The yellow guy was standing next to the Crimson Red, both apparently chatting pretty happily with one another.

It wasn't fair.

How come these guys get to have this peaceful happiness that Masamune and Kojuro used to have? Why was it that all Masamune could do was lash out like this and wait for Kojuro to stop him like he used to do? Why was it that Kojuro wouldn't back him up anymore? Why did Kojuro apologize like that? As if he was ashamed to be with Masamune?

When did it become so hard to communicate with him?

With an angry growl, he stood back up. "I'm going to kill that cat!" he declared brazenly. And without waiting for anybody's reply, he ran off in the direction the wolves had gone.

* * *

He ran through the forest, ignoring the way the trees blocked out whatever light the sun might give. It was hard to see and even harder to keep up his pace through the obstacles in the forest. Why had he not thought to ask Kojuro about this area and what it pertained? Why was this place so complicated like this?

He stubbed his toe harshly against a stone on the ground and cursed. Life just wasn't going his way. Why had he thought that things were going to be alright as long as he played this game with Kojuro? Why had he thought that a game was going to fix something as complicated as brotherhood? His hope had been too high. And now that it had been crushed mercilessly by that Crimson Red, who had appeared by his side where Kojuro should have been, all Masamune really wanted to do was fall to the ground and cry.

He just wanted to give up.

This wasn't fair.

Masamune had been trying so hard. He had beaten people up. He had run wild. He had done everything that he knew Kojuro hated and would normally rebuke him for. But all he got instead was the hunched shoulders and the stiff words of "I'm sorry" to everyone else involved. All he got was this stupid game that he found boring beyond belief and Kojuro was still pulling away.

"**Damn it all!**" the words left his mouth with ease and he punched a tree nearby with as much force as he could muster. And damn it all! Because he had been trying. He really had been. But if the world was going to shove the stinky fact in his face and wave it around for all to see, then fine. He would have to change. He was going to have to evolve. Adapt. He couldn't stay as Kojuro's little brother any more.

He punched the tree again, daring it to say something in protest like his victims usually did. But the tree didn't reply back. There was nothing around him but the sound of the forest. No one approached him. No one came after him.

Not even Kojuro.

* * *

Two hours later, Masamune finally managed to find his way back to the field. It was empty except for a lone figure sitting by himself, crossed legged and still. It should have been a look of serenity but the cloud of guilt could not be hidden. Ah, good old Kojuro. He wasn't going to change, was he? Well that was fine. Because the teen had already made up his mind.

Masamune smiled.

"Yo Kojuro!"

The man's head snapped up and he rushed over to Masamune without question. And without asking for any details, he just wrapped his arms around the younger boy. They didn't talk. They didn't need to.

Because Masamune was done with relying on Kojuro and his support that was never there, never will be there. At least, not any more.

"Let's go hunting," he said, still smiling in the older man's embrace. "I feel like having a **party, you know?**"

Kojuro nodded, giving the younger boy a look of immense relief. They didn't talk about what happened to the four others who had been here. They didn't talk about the Crimson Red or the intense feeling of anger Masamune had felt at that man. They didn't talk about their stained, if not broken, relationship.

The smile never faded from Masamune's face and the guilt never disappeared from Kojuro.

But well… That was just life.

Date Masamune – Trial: Fail


End file.
